The invention relates to a system for monitoring the environment (surroundings) of a motor vehicle having imaging devices for taking a sequence of images, which sequence contains images of at least a part of the environment of the motor vehicle, a display unit for reproducing at least one image detail of the image sequence in the vehicle interior, and having devices for the automatic change of the detail of the environment shown by the reproduction of the image detail by way of the display unit.
Systems of this type are known from DE 100 36 875 A1, EP 1 211 132 A2 and DE 20 2006 015 992 U1. A monitoring of the rearward vehicle environment can be improved by the systems described in these documents such that a camera for monitoring the rear space is arranged directly on the rearward structure of the vehicle, whereby it has a more suitable viewing position of the closer rearward vehicle environment than a rearview mirror which, as a result of its operating principle, is to be arranged forward of the driver's seat. However, the indicated documents do not disclose a satisfactory solution with respect to an intelligent and/or situation-appropriate definition of the environmental detail shown by the display unit provided in the above-indicated fashion.
It is an object of the invention to provide a system with an improved definition of the environmental detail shown by the display unit.
This object is achieved by a system according to the invention including imaging devices for taking a sequence of images or pictures (for example, MPEG video stream or sequence of frames) which contains images at least of a part of the environment of the motor vehicle, and a display unit for the playback of at least one image detail of the image sequence in the vehicle interior. For example, the imaging devices can supply an image sequence with 1,920×1,080 pixels, and the display unit plays back a rectangular cutout of 240×180 pixels from this image sequence. The detail of the environment shown by the display unit, such as a TFT display, is therefore defined, on the one hand by the definition of the image detail of the image sequence and, on the other hand, by the definition of the part of the environment which is imaged in the image sequence. In this case, the image sequence itself may already be restricted to a relatively narrow part of the environment, for example, the rearward space of the vehicle. However, in the opposite extreme case, the image sequence may be constructed as a panoramic view of the vehicle environment. In particular, one or more cameras may be used as imaging devices, but so can other imaging devices. In the case of several cameras, which together simultaneously or alternately are used as imaging devices, the individual cameras do not necessarily have to photograph overlapping or mutually adjacent parts of the environment.
The system according to the invention also includes devices for the automatic change of the environmental detail shown by the playback of the image detail by means of the display unit. In order to adapt the environmental detail, according to the above, particularly the photographed part can be adapted to the environment in that, for example, a camera serving as the imaging device is swiveled or a switch-over to another camera takes place, and/or the played-back image detail is adapted. In the above example of a rectangular image detail, particularly its position in the image sequence originally supplied by the imaging devices can be changed. Definition or adaptation of the environmental detail naturally does not relate to an active intervention in the environment but to one of the above-mentioned measures concerning image taking and/or playback.
The fact that the change of the environmental detail takes place automatically relieves the driver. However, this will be a considerable advantage only if the finally displayed detail of the environment also shows to the driver those image contents which most probably are of interest and/or of use to him. The invention is based on the recognition that especially those road areas should be considered to be of special interest and/or use which had just been traveled by the motor vehicle itself. Since the trajectories of motor vehicles moving in road traffic are typically greatly affected by the placing of roads and lanes, it is highly probable that particularly a motor vehicle that is following is seen precisely where the own vehicle had just been. When a conventional rear view mirror is used, which is aligned such that it offers a view of the rearward vehicle environment essentially along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, this area will typically not be contained in the mirrored image, especially after considerable turns of the motor vehicle. Also known camera-based rear-view systems offer no solution for the targeted monitoring of this area in such situations.
According to the invention, the system for solving this problem has devices for determining at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle, and the detail of the environment or surroundings shown by the display unit can automatically be adapted as a function of the earlier position of the motor vehicle. The environmental or surrounding detail can therefore be adapted such that particularly—or even, as required, exclusively—those road areas are contained in the environmental detail which had just been traveled by the motor vehicle. As indicated above, for adapting the environmental detail, particularly the imaged part can be adapted to the environment in that, for example, a camera serving as the imaging device is swiveled or a switch-over to another camera takes place, and/or the played-back image detail can be adapted.
The earlier position to be defined and to be taken into account for the adaptation may, for example, be defined as a position at a certain point in time prior to the current point in time by a predetermined time period, or as a position behind the current vehicle position by a traveling path predetermined with respect to its length. The at least one earlier position may be defined in a relative manner, for example, relative to the current position of the motor vehicle, and/or in an absolute manner, for example, in GPS coordinates.
Depending on the embodiment of the invention, the term “earlier position of the motor vehicle” used here may be understood to have different meanings. It may be understood to be the center of gravity situated above the road level and/or the geometrical center of the motor vehicle at the respective earlier point in time. However, the term may also be understood as a projection of the center of gravity and/or center onto the plane of the road. Likewise, the term “earlier position of the motor vehicle” used here, however, as a deviation from the actual meaning of the word “position” can also be understood to be an expanded volume or an expanded surface. In the sense of a volume, the term can be understood to be the volume filled by the vehicle at the respective earlier point in time, as required, approximated by a simplifying geometrical model, such as a rectangular parallelepiped. In the sense of a surface, the term may be understood to be the surface on the road taken up by the vehicle at the respective earlier point in time, as required, approximated by a simplifying geometrical model, such as a rectangle. Also, depending on the embodiment, such a surface may again be defined as “lying” on the road or as “floating” at a defined height above the road, for example, at the height of the point of gravity and/or center.
When it is mentioned in connection with the invention that an earlier position is contained in a detail of the environment and the earlier position is defined as a point or surface within the road plane, this means that the detail of the environment is defined such that the corresponding part of the road surface is contained in the detail of the environment unless it is covered by another object. When it is mentioned in connection with the invention that an earlier position is contained in a detail of the environment and the earlier position is defined as a point, surface or volume above the road surface, this means that the detail of the environment is defined such that a hypothetical object that would be arranged at this point, in this surface or in this volume would be contained in the detail of the environment unless it would be covered by another object.
An embodiment that can be implemented particularly easily provides the defining of the earlier position only with respect to its direction relative to current vehicle alignment. It is only by the corresponding selection of the environmental detail such that the latter is defined only by the alignment of the effective viewing angle in this direction that a considerable improvement can be achieved with respect to known systems.
Because of the low vertical dimension of the traffic-relevant parts of the vehicle environment (after all, the vehicle and all other traffic participants move along on the road surface), the earlier position can be defined particularly effectively only with respect to its horizontal direction relative to the current vehicle alignment.
In addition to the direction of an earlier position relative to the current vehicle alignment, preferably at least also the distance of the earlier position relative to the current vehicle position is defined and taken into account. This distance can correspondingly also be utilized for defining an effective zoom factor of the image detail when defining the environmental detail.
For reasons of simplicity and without limiting the generality, it will be assumed in the following that, because of the above-mentioned low vertical dimension of the traffic-relevant parts of the vehicle environment, no vertical defining of the image detail is required which exceeds that vertical change of the image detail that accompanies a zoom-in or zoom-out for changing the horizontal picture detail. However, naturally the idea of the invention can be implemented accordingly also when taking into account the necessity of a vertical definition of the image detail.
According to a preferred embodiment, the system includes devices for defining a plurality of earlier positions of the motor vehicle, a preferred display detail can be defined in the environment of the motor vehicle at least as a function of this plurality of earlier positions, and the environmental or surrounding detail can be adapted such that essentially this display detail is displayed. By taking into account a plurality of earlier positions of the motor vehicle, the environmental detail can be adapted in a particularly advantageous manner.
As discussed above, each individual earlier position can be constructed as a point, a surface or a volume. Accordingly, the plurality of earlier positions can basically be constructed as a point set, as a line, as a quantity of individual surfaces, as a tube-type surface, as a quantity of individual volumes or as a tube-type volume. Without limiting the generality, the case of point-shaped earlier positions will be considered in the following. The plurality of earlier positions is therefore constructed as a point set or line.
The above-mentioned plurality of earlier positions may be constructed or be present, for example, as a trajectory of the motor vehicle. Such a trajectory may describe the covered moving path of the motor vehicle continuously, quasi-continuously or as a set of values. For limiting such a set of values or sequence of values, particularly always the most recent part of the covered path may be recorded or stored in a ring buffer or in another storage unit, in which older values can be overwritten.
The above-mentioned display detail may be understood to be a desired environmental detail. Provided that it is permitted by the prevailing technical conditions of the system, the environmental detail can be adapted such that it corresponds exactly to the display detail. The environmental detail will then be defined or adjusted directly as a function of the plurality of earlier positions. However, as required, cutbacks or croppings should be made in a targeted manner in this respect, and the environmental detail will only essentially be adapted such that it corresponds to the display detail.
In the simplest case, the display detail can be defined as relative to the direction with respect to the current vehicle alignment. However, the direction may, for example, also be supplemented by a zoom factor.
The earlier positions can be defined and/or processed as absolute positions. In this case, for example, position data of a satellite-supported system for position determination (such as GPS) can be used. In such a case, the preferred display detail is preferably also at least at first defined in an absolute manner. A preferred display detail that is defined in an absolute manner can then, when the current vehicle position and, as required, the vehicle alignment are known, be converted to a preferred display detail defined relative to the current vehicle position and, as required, the vehicle alignment.
As an alternative, earlier positions may be defined and/or processed exclusively relative to positions relating to the current motor vehicle positions and, as required, alignments. For the determination of such relative values, particularly steering angle signals, speed signals, and/or acceleration values, for example, measured by a gyroscope, can be used.
According to a preferred embodiment, the display detail is defined such that certain given criteria to be met in connection with the earlier positions will be met in the best possible fashion. For example, it may be defined as a criterion that all positions which the motor vehicle has taken up on a certain already traveled driving route of a predefined length (for example, one meter multiplied by the current speed measured in kilometers per hour) should be contained in the display detail or in the environmental detail. It may be a further criterion that the display detail or the environmental detail is to be selected to be as small as possible in order to offer a good representation of the detail. When the display detail or the environmental detail can be adjusted by way of the two parameters, i.e., directions and zoom factor, an optimal value of these parameters exists as a rule, for which the whole of the two criteria is met in the best possible manner.
As a complete alternative to such a criterion, for example, a center of gravity of the plurality of earlier positions can be determined. The display detail or the environmental detail can then be defined such that this center of gravity is situated in the center of the display detail or of the environmental detail. As a function of the distance of the center of gravity from the motor vehicle, a zoom factor of the display detail or of the environmental detail can be defined.
According to another preferred embodiment, the display detail or the environmental detail is defined such that, with respect to time, it is delayed in comparison to a fictitious display detail or environmental detail defined in a constant manner relative to the vehicle. Such a time delay, which, for example, may be in the order of one second, may, for example, in the event of a considerable change of direction of the motor vehicle, have the effect that the display detail and therefore also the displayed environmental detail will at first still be maintained in the manner that existed before the change of direction. As a result, a vehicle that may possibly be following does not immediately disappear from the displayed environmental detail when the own motor vehicle changes its direction but it can, for example, be observed whether this following vehicle also sets its turn signal or whether it emits other visual signals (for example, a flasher) in order to perhaps warn the motor vehicle equipped with the system of a danger with respect to the turn. Such a delay may also be advantageous in connection with a defining of the display detail or environmental detail according to other criteria.
According to another preferred embodiment, the display detail or the environmental detail is defined such that its temporal course is low-pass filtered with respect to a fictitious display detail defined in a constant manner relative to the vehicle. Thus, a high-frequency part of the vehicle motion is filtered out or compensated. For example, in a rapidly driven hairpin turn or during a fast lane change of the motor vehicle, the low-pass filtering can prevent that the driver loses the overview over the rearward area of the vehicle environment. Such a low-pass filtering may also be advantageous in connection with a defining of the display detail or of the environmental detail according to other criteria.
In the case of many contemplated algorithms for defining the display detail or the environmental detail, a low-pass filtering and also a time delay, just based on the principle, are already caused by taking into account the earlier positions of a past time interval of a defined length.
In particular, this effect can be reduced in that the earlier positions, as a function of their past and/or their distance from the current vehicle position, are entered into the determination of the preferred display detail or environmental detail with a different weighting and in the process more recent values are weighted to a greater degree. Other filtering effects can also be achieved when the earlier positions, as a function of their past and/or their distance from the current vehicle position, are entered into the determination of the preferred display detail or environmental detail with a different weighting.
The preferred display or environmental detail is preferably defined according to a quality assessment. In this case—as mentioned above—it can be evaluated as to whether and/or where the earlier positions of the motor vehicle are contained in the display detail or environmental detail.
In the simplest case, it is only evaluated whether certain earlier positions of the motor vehicle are at all contained in the display detail or environmental detail. The display detail or the environmental detail can then, for example, in most cases be unambiguously defined on the condition that a zoom factor is to be selected that is as small as possible, and the viewing direction is to be selected such that the most extreme earlier positions to be displayed are situated just in the edge area of the display detail or the environmental detail.
As an alternative or in addition, for evaluating whether earlier positions are contained in the display detail or environmental detail, an evaluation can also take place as to where the earlier positions are contained in the display detail or environmental detail. In this case, as required, it may even be accepted that an earlier position to be displayed per se is not contained in the display detail or environmental detail if other earlier positions are displayed all the better.
If the display detail or environmental detail, which deserves a maximum or a satisfactory value of the quality assessment, can be determined directly, the display detail or environmental detail is preferably correspondingly defined in a direct manner. Otherwise, as required, the display detail may be definable by a search step process or another optimization process.
In the following, for reasons of simplicity and without limiting the generality, a differentiation will no longer be made between a display detail and an environmental detail. However, for the following statements, the fact should also be regarded as being disclosed that, although an environmental detail is defined in a certain manner, the actually effectively adjusted environmental detail does not always exactly correspond to the latter.
In addition to being a function of the at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle, the adaptation of the environmental detail preferably also takes place as a function of the driving speed of the motor vehicle. At a low driving speed, for example, during parking maneuvers, especially a wide-angle environmental detail may provide an improved overview. In contrast, at a higher driving speed, an environmental detail with a narrow-angle focus may be helpful for an improved view into parts of the environment that are farther away.
It may be advantageous for the adaptation of the environmental detail to take place as a function of at least one future position of the motor vehicle, in addition to the at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle. In particular, the preferred display detail can be defined as a function of a predicted position or possibly a predicted spatial alignment of the motor vehicle. The prediction may extend ahead by a predefined time period or a predefined driving route of the motor vehicle. It may take place, for example, by means of the current driving speed and/or the current steering angle. Longitudinal and lateral acceleration values may also be taken into account for an improved prediction.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the system according to the invention includes devices for determining a plurality of earlier steering angle values of the motor vehicle. A preferred display detail in the environment of the motor vehicle can be defined, at least as a function of the plurality of earlier steering angle values. In particular, the steering angle values may be used as an essential or even sole basis for the determination of earlier positions of the motor vehicle, by which the environmental detail can then be defined. The past steering angle values permit at least an approximate determination of the past lane of the motor vehicle relative to its current position. Because they are supported by steering angle values, the measuring equipment and measuring-related algorithms for implementing the invention may have a particularly simple design and nevertheless effectively implement the invention.
According to another particularly preferred embodiment, the at least one earlier position is determined, among others, by use of electronic map data. In particular, a complete past trajectory of the motor vehicle or parts of such a trajectory can be determined by way of the road courses known from an electronic road map. It is also contemplated to amend or correct a trajectory by way of the course of roads known from an electronic road map when the trajectory otherwise obtained in a different manner is interrupted as a result of measuring errors or does not appear to be plausible.
In addition to being a function of the at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle, the environmental detail can preferably automatically be adapted to the vehicle environment as a function of additional state variables of the vehicle environment, depending on the situation.
An adaptation of the environmental detail is also contemplated, for example, as a function of known sources of danger or other traffic participants. The previous knowledge of danger sources required for this purpose may also originate from an electronic road map. It may also be obtained in a wireless manner from a service provider. The presence and, as required, the precise position and/or additional data of other traffic participants may be made known to the motor vehicle, for example, by way of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and/or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.
When another traffic participant, particularly another vehicle, is equipped with an RFID chip or other features that can be sensed, this traffic participant can also be detected and localized by the motor vehicle or an infrastructure device on the basis of the detection of this chip. According to the situation, the alignment of the imaging devices and/or of the image detail can then, for example, as a function of a danger potential attributed to the other traffic participant, be adapted such that the displayed environmental detail includes the other traffic participant.
While driving past, other objects and conditions of the vehicle environment can also be detected on an RFID basis, in addition to other traffic participants. For example, the RFID-based detection and possibly localization of traffic signs, intersections, junctions, traffic lights and parking opportunities is also contemplated. According to the situation, the environmental detail can also be adapted as a function of such objects and their arrangement with respect to the motor vehicle.
The RFID detection can also concern objects which do not relate directly to the driving events, such as mailboxes, restaurants, cigarette vending machines, etc. According to the situation, the environmental detail can also be adapted such that such objects are indicated to the driver. Thus, for example, a vacant parking space in the vehicle environment can be displayed to the driver.
In addition to the RFID-induced adaptation of the displayed environmental detail, at least one piece of information read out of the respective RFID chip concerning the object equipped with the RFID chip can also be displayed by the display unit provided according to the invention. When the read-out information is inserted into the image detail in the proximity of the object, the driver can particularly well mutually relate the information and the object. Instead of the display of the information by the display unit, the indication of the information can naturally also be caused by another information conveying device.
As mentioned above, the image detail can be adapted such that a vacant parking space is displayed to the driver in the shown environmental detail. In addition,—inserted into the image of the environmental detail or at another point in the vehicle interior—, it may be read out of the RFID chip as further information and displayed to the driver which parking fee would be due for use of the parking space. It would also be advantageous for information to be read out of an RFID chip of another vehicle in the environment of the motor vehicle concerning a priority of the other vehicle (for example, “Baby on Board” or “service vehicle”) and to be conveyed to the driver of the motor vehicle. The driver can then let such a vehicle pass and/or thoughtfully maintain a distance.
The situation-related definition addressed in the preceding section may compete with the basic definition of the environmental detail according to the invention. Preferably, a weighting of different influencing variables when defining the environmental detail can therefore be adapted by operating actions of a vehicle occupant. In particular, it may, for example, be advantageous to define a threshold which a mathematical measurement of the relevance of a traffic situation has to exceed so that a definition of the environmental detail takes place as a function of this traffic situation. If the threshold is not exceeded, the environmental detail is adapted as previously as a function of at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle.
According to an advantageous further development, the playback of the image detail—and therefore also the display of the environmental detail—takes place as a function of the position of the environmental detail with respect to the motor vehicle. The viewer is thereby given the opportunity of orienting and integrating the displayed environmental detail in the overall environment. As an alternative or in addition, the display of the environmental detail may also be accompanied by a symbolic representation of the position of the environmental detail with respect to the motor vehicle. In principle, those forms of display are to be considered to be advantageous also for other imaging devices and processes where a detail from the environment of the motor vehicle is automatically defined and is displayed to a viewer in the vehicle interior.
A display of the environmental detail as a function of a zoom factor or aperture angle used for the definition or resulting from the definition may also be advantageous. This also may allow the viewer to have an improved orientation and integration of the displayed image detail in the overall environment. As an alternative and addition, information concerning the zoom factor or the aperture angle can be additionally conveyed to the viewer by an accompanying symbolic representation.
According to a preferred embodiment of such further developments of the present invention, the arrangement of the image detail within a display surface of the display unit is a function of the position of the environmental detail with respect to the motor vehicle. In particular, the display unit may be integrated in the mirror surface of a rearview mirror of the motor vehicle. The display unit itself may also be constructed as a mirror surface of the rearview mirror, and the display surface in each case currently not used for displaying the environmental detail can be changed to a reflective condition. In the case of such an embodiment, the viewer can easily recognize by means of the arrangement of the picture detail within the mirror surface which part of the environment is just being displayed to him. The remaining parts of the mirror can be conventionally used by the driver as a mirror.
As an alternative or in addition, a distortion of the image detail may be dependent on the position of the environmental detail with respect to the motor vehicle. This also can permit the viewer to better orient and integrate the displayed environmental detail in the overall environment. The distortion can be achieved by a geometrical transformation of the image detail which provides the viewer with the impression of a corresponding perspective. As an alternative or in addition, the distortion can be achieved by a curvature or a perspectively generated virtual alignment of the image detail.
As an alternative or in addition, the image detail may be arranged as a function of the position of the environmental detail with respect to the motor vehicle and/or as a function of the zoom factor used in a defined plane of a three-dimensional representation.
According to another advantageous further development, a change of the environmental detail caused by a pitching or rolling motion of the motor vehicle can be compensated by an opposite adaptation of the image detail. For example, a displayed view of the rear space is therefore not corrupted by a pitching of the vehicle during strong braking. A measurement or estimation of the disturbance variables to be compensated will be helpful for an implementation.
The macroscopic course of the road traveled by the motor vehicle can also be compensated. So that, for example, another vehicle driving behind the motor vehicle can be included in the environmental detail, it is not sufficient to compensate the pitching and rolling motions of the motor vehicle with respect to a road surface approximated as a sole plane surface. When the motor vehicle is, for example, at first driving on an essentially planar road and then suddenly briefly slopes toward the rear while it is driving up a locally narrowly bounded incline, on the one hand, the slope of the motor vehicle with respect to the local road surface has to be compensated, and, on the other hand, the incline and altitude of this local road surface with respect to the plane in which the following vehicle is still situated has to be compensated. Such data may be known from electronic map data of a navigation system. As an alternative, provided that the motor vehicle has the corresponding suitable detecting devices, the absolute altitude and the absolute pitching angle of the motor vehicle with respect to space can also be determined. When, in addition, the earlier position to which the environmental detail is to be adapted is spatially known in an absolute manner, the imaging devices and/or the image detail can be correspondingly adapted.
According to another advantageous further development, a change of the environmental detail caused by a vibration of the motor vehicle can be compensated by an opposite adaptation of the image detail. The image sequence of a view of the rearward space can therefore be electronically stabilized, for example, during a drive over cobblestone pavement which causes the entire vehicle and therefore also the imaging devices to vibrate. A measurement or estimation of the disturbance variables to be compensated will be helpful for an implementation.
According to another advantageous further development, the image detail is at least temporarily compressed at least in an edge area with respect to a central picture area in order to cause a representation of the environmental detail, which corresponds to the representation by a non-spherical mirror. Thus, the entire angle of view can be enlarged without reducing or distorting the image in the central picture area.
According to another advantageous further development, the system includes devices for determining an eye position and/or viewing direction of the operator and the environmental detail can be adapted as a function of this eye position and/or viewing direction. Thus, in particular, the driver is provided with the possibility of interacting with the system in the same fashion to which he is accustomed when using a conventional mirror. For example, a change to a more wide-angled representation can take place when the driver's eyes approach the display unit. As required, this effect may also be intensified superproportionally. As a result, the driver is even provided with a possibility of interacting with the system, which is improved or expanded in comparison with the use of a conventional mirror. Nevertheless, because of the similarity of the interaction possibilities, this function of the system can be intuitively used by most drivers in a targeted manner and without any significant familiarizing phase. It may, however, also be advantageous to increase the zoom factor when the driver's eyes approach the display unit. This may also correspond to some users' expecting attitude and can therefore be used intuitively by those users in a targeted manner and without any significant familiarizing phase. Instead of the eye position, the user's, particularly the driver's, head position can be detected if this can be technically implemented in an easier fashion.
According to another advantageous further development, the system includes devices for illuminating the vehicle environment, and the illumination of the vehicle environment is controlled as a function of the currently displayed environmental detail. Thus, particularly by means of targeted light sources and their alignment with the environmental detail, that part of the vehicle environment can always be illuminated in a targeted manner that actually also appears to the driver in the display. This goal can naturally also be reached if, as a function of the at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle, the illumination of the vehicle environment is controlled such that the currently displayed environmental detail is illuminated in a certain manner, for example, is brightly as possible.
For the illumination, the normal motor vehicle lights (particularly the low beam, the high beam and/or the backup lights) can be used as required if their light can be aligned and/or redistributed. Particularly in this case and in other cases of the use of visible light, the change of the illumination of the vehicle environment can contribute to the fact that the environmental detail can be displayed by the system according to the invention in an improved manner and that also the driver and other traffic participants can better observe it directly.
The illumination of the environment can also be further developed in the infrared spectrum when the imaging devices used according to the invention operate in the infrared spectrum. In this case, other traffic participants will not be irritated by the illumination change of the environment.
The inventive idea can basically be applied to all systems for monitoring the environment or surroundings of a motor vehicle, which are suitable for pictorially representing to the driver a detail of the environment and for technically implementing the characteristics of the invention. Systems capable of providing a pictorial detail of the vehicle environment which can be displayed to the driver can be intermediately summed up by the term “imaging systems”. In this sense, the imaging systems include those that are based on camera images (also infrared) as well as those that are based on synthetic or virtual images (as required, also with a vehicle environment illustrated by symbols) and that are generated, for example, by scanning the environment by use of a radar system, a LIDAR system or a similar detection device. An object in the environment of a motor vehicle can also be detected because it has an RFID chip or a similar detectable feature. Such an object detected on an RFID basis could, for example, be plotted into an environmental image otherwise artificially generated on a radar basis. Also cases of a real-time image generation on the basis of a sensing of the environment should be included in the used term “taking an image sequence by means of imaging devices”. An imaging system in the above-mentioned sense may also consist of several cameras and/or other sensors whose images are assembled into a single picture.
The invention can also and particularly be used for motor vehicles constructed as motorcycles. For motorcycles, it is generally considered to be advantageous to be able to provide a display unit that is as small as possible. Larger displays can only be shielded with difficulty from environmental influences, particularly sun radiation. The invention permits a reduction of the size of the image to be displayed for providing detailed information and is therefore suitable especially for motorcycles. Based on their principle, the compensation of a pitching, yawing and rolling can be considered to be particularly advantageous in the case of motorcycles.
Systems and processes for storing the taken image contents in a storage unit of the motor vehicle—for example, for an evaluation after an accident—can also be improved as a result of the invention. The reason is that, by way of the invention, the environmental information in each case classified as relevant can already be extracted by a definition of the displayed environmental detail. As it were, the image detail is optimized with respect to the size and the content. If the corresponding image detail is stored, for example, in a ring storage device, the stored data will have a very high informational content.
The automatic adaptation of the photographed part of the vehicle environment and/or of the image detail is preferably carried out by a display control unit contained in the system according to the invention. The display control unit may, for example, be constructed as a motor vehicle control unit. In an advantageous embodiment, the display control unit can carry out additional tasks which are connected with the invention and/or are not connected with the invention.
In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described by means of the attached drawings. This description contains further details, preferred embodiments and further developments of the invention. The described examples, embodiments and further developments, unless indicated otherwise and/or technically excluded, can be used individually as well as in any combinations with one another and are advantageous.